Process for making stockings



Sept. 20, 1932. K, KN 1,878,499

PROCESS FOR MAKING STOCKINGS FilQd Feb. 5, 1932 xxxxxxxxx "4:00:

* nammmmmnnr Inventor Karl Richard Lieberkneehl' By his Afl'orneys Markai'd line 7 g XXXXX Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KARL RICHARD LIEBERKNECHT, F OBERLUNGWITZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO KARL LIEBERKNECHT G. M. B. H., OF OBERLUNGWITZ, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY PROCESS FOR MAKING STOCKINGS Application filed February 5, 1932, Serial No. 591,175, and in Germany June 26, 1931.

This invention relates to a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings and,

a full fashioned hosiery machine in one continuous operation.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view drawn to a larger scale and showing a corner between a heel cap and the sole portion of the foot;

ac and Fig. 3 shows the heel cap and sole portion of Fig. 2 united by looping.

Various methods bywhich stockings may be manufactured on a flat bar knitting machine in a single continuous operation or on a so-called single unit full fashioned hosiery machine are known but in such methods it is necessary, when finishing the stocking after knitting, to join the heel caps and the sole at portions of the foot by looping. It has been proposed to add so-called ravel courses to the sole portions of the foot so that a looped seam may be put in that course of the sole portions which corresponds with the first complete course of the foot portion but while this makes it possible to put the selected course of the sole portions on the looping machine it is difficult to catch the corners between the heel caps and the foot portion exactly because the loops at the corners become very large or distorted while the heel caps are being knit.

According to the present invention the stocking generally will be knit in accordance with the method shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 558,811, filed Aug. 22, 1931 and after having knit the leg portion 1 the heel cap 2 and a few courses, preferably two, after the first complete foot course of the foot 3, there are knit enlarged or loose loops 4, as on the lines CD and FE which extend on the same course in the foot 3 from the selvage edges thereof to points in the instep portion of the foot a few needles inside of the corners A and B of the heel caps so that the line of loose loops at each side of the foot is longer than the width of the sole portion at that side of the foot. The enlarged or loose loops may be formed as shown in my co-pending application Ser. No. 571,658, filed Oct. 28,1981.

On the heel cap 2 lines G'H and I-K of loose loops are formed either during the knitting or by creasing after the heel caps are knit. These lines of loose loops are placed outwardly of the inner edges of the heel cap-s, as seen in Fig. 1, about the same distance the loose loops of the lines CD and E-F are from the adjacent edges of the sole por tions of the foot and the lines of loose loops GH and 1-K extend a few courses beyond the heel caps into the leg portion 1. Short lines L-D and M-F of loose loops extending perpendicular to the loose loops of lines CD and F-E and for the same distance into the leg portion 1 as do the loose loops of the lines GH and I-K are also formed in the leg portion 1. The heel caps and sole portions are then joined along the lines GH and LDC on one side and on the lines 1-K and MFE on the other side, an operation which is carried out on a looping machine without difficulty as only the loose or large loops on the lines indicated are transferred. Joining the parts along the lines indicated causes the large or distorted loops which form at the heel corners A and B to be locked in, that is, drawn together and covered by the looping thread during the looping operation thus giving a clean union at the end of the looped seam and a properly finished appearance to the stocking.

I claim- 1. In a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings, the step of forming rows of loose loops in the sole portions along the lines of attachment of the sole portions to the heel caps and extending from the selvage edges of the sole portions to points on the foot inwardly of the heel corners.

2. In a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings, the steps of forming rows of loose loops in the sole portions along the lines of attachment of the sole portions to the heel caps and extending from the selvage edges of the sole portions to points on the foot inwardly of the heel corners and forming a row of loose loops adjacent the inner edges of each heel cap extending beyond the ends of the heel caps into the leg' of the stocking.

3. In a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings, the steps of forming rows of loose loops in the sole portions along the lines of attachment of the sole portions to the heel caps and extending from the selvage edges of the sole portions to points on the foot inwardly of the heel corners, forming a row of loose loops adjacent the inner edges of each heel cap extending beyond the ends of the heel caps into the leg of the stocking and forming a row of loose loops extending from the inner ends of the rows of loose loops in the sole portions into the leg portion of the stocking parallel to the rows of loose loops extending into the heel caps.

4. In a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings, the steps of form ng rows of loose loops in the sole portions along the lines of attachment of the sole portions to the heel caps and extending from theselvage edges of the sole portions to points on the foot inwardly of the heel corners, forming a row of loose loops adjacent the inner edges of each heel cap extending beyond the ends of the heel caps into the leg of the stocking, forming a row of loose loops extending from the inner ends of the rows of loose loops in the sole portions into the leg portion of the stocking parallel to the rows of loose loops extend ng into the heel caps and uniting the stocking parts along the lines formed by the adjacent rows of loose loops in the heel caps and sole portions as extended in the leg portion.

5. In a process of manufacturing full fashioned stockings, the steps of forming rows of loose loops on sole portions and heel caps, extending such rows at each side of a stocking by parallel rows of loose loops in the leg portion on opposite sides of each heel corner and joining the rows of loose loops on each side of a stocking.

6. In aprocessof manufacturing full fashloned stockings the steps of forming rows of 

